Of Interest

Mother Nature was not the only one who may have made revelers at the town’s annual Fourth of July celebrations a little uncomfortable.

A group of nine young people turned out at the parade and annual reading of the founding documents with thought-provoking signs that provided a balanced perspective to a day that, for some, is all about patriotism.

Dressed in plain black T-shirts and holding placards with messages like, “End Prison Slavery,” and, “No One Is Illegal on Stolen Land,” the group stepped onto Spring Street a little ahead of the parade as the American Legion Color Guard made its way around the corner from Main Street.

The protesters, who appeared to be college- age, then walked the parade route as a group before circling back individually with their signs displayed — making sure their messages were delivered even as parade units ranging from the Williamstown Select Board to the North Adams SteepleCats waved to the crowd in the background.

Later, the same group of protesters filed into Williams College’s Sawyer Library just before the traditional reading of the nation’s founding documents and held the same signs silently at the front of the audience gathered to hear actors from Williamstown Theatre Festival perched on the walkway above.

The president of the Williamstown Chamber of Commerce, who organizes the parade, said she was not sure whether the group had asked to be included in that event, but she welcomed its presence.

“Isn’t that what America is about?” Victoria Saltzman said. “This is an example. It’s quintessentially America that we can celebrate and protest at the same time.”

From this tweet, we find these flyers, presumably (?) distributed by the same group:

If you look closely you can tell that the style is well manicured. This is a common style for upper class and upper middle class preps attempting to look like they come from the lower income backgrounds.